A conventional brassiere comprises a pair of breast cups intended to support the breasts of the wearer, a connecting portion joining together the inner edges of the cups at the wearer's cleavage, and at least one strap or back wing that extends from outer edges of the breast cups around the back of the wearer. The brassiere may further include shoulder straps that extend from upper edges of the breast cups over the shoulders of the wearer to attachment points on the back wing crossing the wearer's back.
A brassiere may include an underwire for each breast cup to shape and support the lower periphery of each breast cup. An underwire may comprise a generally U-shaped frame formed from metal or a rigid plastic material. Usually a pair of underwires is incorporated into a brassiere or other undergarment to provide shape and support for a pair of breast cups. However, in some forms the underwire may comprise a single underwire frame which traverses both breast cups.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,896,580 B2 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,207,861 B2 disclose cushioned underwires for brassieres, in which the underwire and the cushioning material are provided in multi-layered casings. These casings are complex in structure and thus relatively expensive in the overall costs for manufacture of a brassiere.